The sky was wrong.
Above Aetherion Academy, space itself seemed to tear — thin cracks spreading across the air like shattered glass. From within those fractures, darkness bled slowly into the world.
Cold.
Heavy.
Alive.
Students froze in place, staring upward.
"What… is that?" someone whispered.
Then—
The crack widened.
And something crawled through.
A creature formed from shadow and fractured energy dropped from the rift, landing violently in the courtyard. Its body twisted unnaturally, limbs jagged, eyes glowing with hollow light.
A Riftborn.
Then another fell.
And another.
And another.
The alarm intensified.
"ALL STUDENTS — EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY."
Panic erupted.
But not everywhere.
Kai stood still.
Watching.
Feeling something strange deep inside his chest… not fear… not shock…
Recognition.
As if this moment had already happened once before.
Ryo stepped forward, energy flaring around his fists.
"Finally," he muttered. "Something real."
"Focus," Elias said calmly, already analyzing the creatures. "Their movement is unstable… but aggressive. Aim for the core — center mass."
Ryo cracked his knuckles.
"Don't slow me down."
The nearest Riftborn lunged.
Fast.
Faster than most students could react.
But Ryo met it head-on.
BOOM.
His fist ignited with aura, smashing into the creature and sending it skidding across the ground. The Riftborn shrieked, its body reforming, unstable but still alive.
"They regenerate," Elias noted instantly.
Another Riftborn rushed from the side—
Then stopped.
Frozen mid-motion.
Not by force.
By presence.
Kai had stepped forward.
Calm.
Silent.
Eyes steady.
For a split second…
The creature hesitated.
As if something deep within it recognized something deeper within him.
Then it attacked.
Fast.
Violent.
Unstoppable—
Or it should have been.
Kai moved once.
A simple step.
A precise strike.
The Riftborn shattered.
Not exploded.
Not blasted.
Just… ended.
Like glass collapsing inward.
Ryo blinked.
"…What?"
Elias narrowed his eyes.
"That wasn't normal."
Kai looked at his hand briefly… then lowered it.
"It's still moving," he said quietly.
And he was right.
Across the courtyard, more Riftborn continued pouring from the fractured sky.
Dozens now.
The air grew heavier.
Pressure building.
Something bigger was coming.
Ryo grinned, energy flaring stronger.
"Good. Now it's getting interesting."
Elias took a slow breath, calculating.
"Kai."
Kai didn't look at him.
But he listened.
"This… is only the beginning."
Above them—
The rift cracked wider.
And something massive began to descend.